Open House out of the way

Last night was my school's open house. I used to dread them. I'd wonder "What will the parents think?", "Will the parents like me?", "Will they feel I'm a good teacher?", etc. Things sure have changed for me. I'm no longer nervous--I just put on my little "show" and if they like me great and if they don't like me, oh well! I have definitely learned over the years you will never please everyone. In addition, you can bend over backwards for some kids and the parents will still find fault in you. So, I know now--I just have to do the best I can. No more, no less!

Ultimate Paintball

If you are crazy about paintball, let me tell you about an awesome on-line store! Anything that you can imagine can be found at the click of a button. Tippmann, Spyder paintball guns, Smart Parts, Dye, Draxxus paintball gear plus many more brands are available at Ultimate Paintball. It wasn't until I visited their site did I realize all the paintball accessories that are available. For those people who are not sure what to purchase, they offer complete paintball packages which "are everything you need to get in the game." Free shipping is offered for all orders over $200. And rest assured, they have a secure website and they are members of the BBB Online Reliability Program in order to make your shopping experience a pleasant one.

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The Lady with the alto voice

Church services will never be the same. A dear lady Gloria passed away suddenly last week. She was a wonderful, loving person who sang with so much feeling. I will miss her and her beautiful alto voice. It is so hard to believe I won't be able to see her or hear her voice anymore on this earth. But thanks to God, I'll see her and many others who have gone on before one day again.

Reading Tutors

Have you considered getting a reading tutor for your child? I have. My son is having trouble passing a state standardized reading test so I've been looking into a tutoring program that could help him prepare for that test. After looking into various programs, I have found that Score Educational Centers have the qualified Reading Tutors that I am looking for. Score is part of Kaplan, Inc., a global educational services provider. Not only will their tutors help him to pass the test, their programs will help to build up his confidence so that he can be successful in the future.

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Amazing Landing!

I was watching the news last night and they were talking about unusual or amazing videos on youtube. One of the ones they were talking about was the plane landings at St. Maarten airport. I decided to check it out. There are several videos. To me, this one seems to be one of the better ones. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvNONncieu0


I'm sure you will agree it is totally amazing.

Why I Feel Strongly about Alzheimer's

Do you know anyone personally that has had Alzheimer's? Well, I do. A very good friend of my family, who passed away a few years ago, had Alzheimer's. It was one of the saddest things I have ever seen. This wonderful, vibrant, loving man became a man who was not recognizable by his actions. He became violent and would not recognize those who knew him--even his caring wife. It was sad to watch his wife of about 50 years trying to help him. She would end up with bruises and cuts from the scuffles she would have with him. Trying to explain his condition to my young children was so hard. They had known him as a nice, older man who was patient with them and then they watched him change to someone who wouldn't talk to them or seem to know they were there. I have known of others who have dealt with this illness, as well. It is great there is an organization called the Alzheimer's Association that is trying to find a cure for Alzheimer's. One of the methods they use to raise money and awareness is the Alzheimer's Memory Walk. This event is held nationwide at different times in the year. There is a time and place for all to become involved. Maybe you would be interested in becoming a Team Captain for the next Memory Walk in your area. If so, make sure you sign up early. Alzheimer's Association

4 days down, 176 to go!

Yes, I've made it through 4 days of school. I am blessed again. My students are great. There is not one student that I wish wasn't in my class. I'm not saying that they don't do things that they shouldn't at times, but they all seem to be basically good kids. The problem I am having to deal with is the new state mandated 30 minutes of daily P.E. It can't be free play, in other words, recess. It has to be a structured activity each time. There actually is not enough time in the school day to fit in everything else--particularly academic requirements. People sitting in offices making decisions--they did not figure that P.E. would take the place of some academic activity. I agree that kids need more exercise, but an additional half hour needs to be added to the school day so we can fit it in--and, of course, teachers need to be paid more for that extra half hour.

Starting a New Business

Have you ever thought about starting your own business? I have and, if you are like me, have no idea how to start one. Well, I found a great website that helps people start their own business. It is www.incparadise.com . Not only can you find information about Arizona incorporations, you can learn how to be incorporated in any state. I recently read about a young man who happened upon the www.incparadise.com website. He decided to take action and start a book selling business on EBAY. To start his business, he had friends and family give him books to sell. At last word, he was earning about $100,000 per year. The site is very user friendly. It gives you information on what type of company would be best for you, LLC, S Corporation or C Corporation. In addition, there is a great question and answer section. If you can't find the answer there, you can call them at 1-888-284-3821. If you need forms, etc., you can purchase corporation and LLC kits right from the site. This company definitely makes it easy to start a business. What makes it even better, its prices are lower than the competition.

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Please--No Hurricanes!

I am praying that South Florida doesn't have any hurricanes this year. I am so thankful Hurricane Dean is on its way past us--but I don't want it to hit anyone else either. It would be devastating for it to slam Texas or New Orleans, as well as Central America. I don't feel like I could handle a hurricane right now--I've had several other pressures to deal with. In addition, ever since Hurricane Wilma hit down here two years, insurance rates went sky high. That, along with the mortgage issues, has made it hard for people to sell their houses. And, then, when it comes to protection, I only have wind resistant film on my windows--no shutters. So I am a little nervous about that. One good thing, however, is that I have a new roof--so I know that won't fly off. But I really don't want to go through a hurricane to know that for sure!

Lap Band by Journey Lite

Have you ever heard of Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding? Let me tell you, it seems to be an amazing procedure, also known as the LAP-BAND® System procedure, which can help obese people have a new lease on life. During the procedure, a Journey Lite surgeon makes tiny incisions and places an inflatable silicon band around the upper part of the stomach. Once it is in place, the surgeon inflates the band and adds a saline solution. This procedure causes a reduction in the amount of food that can be taken in at one time and, in turn, allows the person to feel full and to eat less. If you go to the Journey Lite website, you can see a video on this minimally invasive procedure.

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My Maniac Dog is Still At It!!!!

My dog, Muffy, is still driving me insane. Just about every night she has what I think is close to a human's panic attack. She runs around the house panting and whining. When it's time for bed, she wants on the bed, then she wants off the bed, then she wants out of the room, then she wants in the room. Sometimes she acts like she is trying to dig a hole in the carpet. Luckily, not on the new carpet--so far. Anyway, the other night, I gave her a tranquilizer and she seemed much better--for a while. Then, at 1:22 a.m., she started up all over again. It is worse than having a baby getting up in the middle of the night. At least with a baby, you feed it, change it, then go back to bed. With Muffy, you don't know what to do with it! I hope she gets over it by next Sunday night, so I can have a good night's sleep before I have to deal with a classroom full of kids.

I know I didn't put that in storage!!!

I love animals--but not so much that I want mice living in my storage unit. I started renting a storage unit a couple of months ago when I thought I was going to move. I put in things that I didn't need around the house plus all my school stuff. Well, I went there on Sunday afternoon to find that my storage unit has an non-paying tenant. I didn't actually see the little rascal--but I found some of its special gifts--if you know what I mean. Today I went to the unit again and really had a look. It looks like it is after my craft supplies. It took ribbon out of one box. It also bit through some of the wiring of my Christmas lights. I actually think it is living in another box--because a typical looking mouse hole is in the side of the box. I have a bunch of boxes in my car right now that I'm taking to my school--I hope I didn't pick up a stowaway! The storage company is going to set up traps. I hope I never see a little mouse in it. Then, I'll feel guilty.

Score Educational Centers

I have checked into tutoring programs and one that I have found that has an Innovative Tutor program is Score Educational Centers. A part of the Kaplan, Inc., a global educational services provider, they offer two types of in-house programs. One is called the Advantage Program which is a customized computer-based program. The other program is Personal Academic Tutoring which is paper-based and for children who need one-on-one training. Both programs help build up a child's confidence and to become more independent. Recently, they added an "on the go" workbook an on-line program which allows students to work outside of the center. With all of this, along with the caring and qualified tutors, I feel Score is the program for my child.

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Only one more day!

Yeah, just one more day until I have to go back to real work. This summer has not been fun at all. I've got a lot done at the house, but that wasn't fun! I interviewed for three jobs and got four job offers, but that wasn't fun! I didn't get to go on a trip, except for driving back and forth to Orlando, and that wasn't fun (except for seeing my kids)! Yeah, just one more day. When is there a day off?

I really shouldn't complain--an non-eventful summer is a good summer.

HotelReservations.com

There are many Hotel Reservations sites out there. It's hard for most people to figure out which site to use. Which site is the most user friendly? Which site allows you to make reservations for everything you need for your trip? Which site gives you good deals on flights and hotels and even more? I am going to tell you. It is HotelReservations.com. I am planning to take a trip to Montgomery, Alabama, in October. A few weeks ago, I started checking out the flights by going to each airline and seeing if they even had flights to Montgomery and, if they did, what were the prices and times. It was so time consuming! Since then, I decided to try out the HotelReservations.com site. Not only was I able to check out the flights, but I was also able to look for a hotel. Let me tell you! Within a matter of a couple of minutes, I had a complete list of airlines with the available times along with the prices. It definitely is much easier going to HotelReservations.com than to go to each airline site. Without changing sites, I also found great hotels within a short distance of the place of the event I am attending. I decided to check out some other reservation sites and I found that HotelReservations.com is more user friendly in many areas. It even offers information in different languages for those who need it. The hotel prices were very competitive with other reservation sites and even cheaper than some of the actual hotel sites. For those people who are taking a car trip, HotelReservations.com is offering a gas rebate. What a deal! If you are planning a trip any time soon, make sure you go first to HotelReservations.com so you won't waste time like I did looking at other sites. It is a one stop reservation site!

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What a great deal!

Some times you get e-mails that are worthless or costly. I received an e-mail a few weeks ago that was just the opposite. It was one of those e-mails saying that I may be eligible to take a survey in which I could get a new Senseo Coffee Pod System for just $15 (for shipping and handling). I decided to complete the questionnaire. In a few days I received an e-mail that stated I was eligible to take the survey for the coffee system. I completed the survey and sent in the $15 by Paypal. I thought it would be at least 6 weeks before I received it. But, today there was a knock on my door. The mailman had delivered my new coffee pot. It took less than 3 weeks. Now it's time to make some great coffee.

BuildASign

Do you need magnetic signs or Real Estate Signs? If so, you need to go to BuildASign.com. This great site makes it easy to order real estate signs and accessories. You can also order customized magnetic signs for your car. The site has an easy and fast way to order the size you need. If you don't need a real estate sign or a magnetic sign, the selection of other types of signs seems endless. Whether you have a business or upcoming event, BuildASign.com has everything from personalized license plates to banners. The list is too long to mention them all. Best of all, the prices are very reasonable. It is definitely a one stop sign store. You need to check it out today.

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Tell Me What You Think!

This picture makes me think of something. Can you figure it out? Think about an advertisement you have seen on T.V. I'll tell you what it makes me think of at a later time.

Now my dog is driving me crazy!!!

South Florida is known for its stormy summers. This year has been no exception. My mixed terrier, Muffy, has always been afraid of the storms, but, for some reason this year, she is more nervous than ever. With the frequent afternoon/evening storms and the recent 4th of July fireworks, she has just about driven me nuts. I give her a tranquillizer if the storm is severe, but I can't give her one every time there is just a little rumble of thunder. Lately, it seems she is acting like a wreck when there is no noticeable thunder. I have no idea what her problem is. All I know is that it is driving me almost as nutty as she is.

Halloween the movie

Movies have gotten scarier and scarier. I used to think they were scary when I was a kid, but the special effects of today's movies are of no comparison. However, I still remember one movie that my cousins and I went to see when we were young in the early 60's. It scared us to where we couldn't sleep for days. The movie was called "Horrors of the Black Museum." It was a story about a series of gruesome murders that took place in England. It told of a Scotland Yard detective's quest to find the killer and a crime story writer who was writing about the murders. You probably already guessed that it was the writer committing the murders. The murders were very memorable, especially one scene where a lady looks into a pair of binoculars when spikes pop out and go through her eyes killing her. This happened within the first couple of minutes of the movie. Every murder was totally unexpected and absolutely scared us out of our wits. In fact, we didn't make it through the whole movie! There have been several scary movies that have come out lately. And I'm sure with Rob Zombie directing the remake of Halloween the movie, which is coming out August 31st, there will not be any disappointments in the area of absolute fright. His natural love of the horror genre and his ability to keep people wondering what could possibly happen next will make this movie one that horror movie lovers will have to see. In the following trailer you can see how Rob has taken the classic horror movie and has given it his own special effects and frights. It looks like Halloween the movie will be a movie that will keep me from being able to sleep for days! How about you?

My3cents.com

I just found this great site, My3cents.com. I wish I had known about it before I bought my phone from Simply Wireless. It is a consumer site that lets people give complaints or compliments about a company. Well, I found there are a lot of people out there who had the same trouble or a similar problem as I did with Simply Wireless. Now I know a great place to go to check companies out before I make a purchase.

Simply Wireless

Do not be enticed by a offer from Simply Wireless for a $100 rebate. I was and now I have the phone but no $100 rebate!!! First of all, after you get the phone with the rebate forms, you find out it is not an immediate rebate. You have to wait 7 and then 9 months for two $50 rebates. After what I thought was 7 months, I sent my phone bill in and, several weeks later, the rebate was denied because, according to them, I sent the wrong bill in. They said I sent the 6 month bill in. So I copied the next month's bill and sent it in. Several weeks later, again, it was denied because they still said it was the wrong bill. I e-mailed them and they said they would look into it. Several weeks later, it was denied again because they said it had to be on a $39.99 or more plan. Well, it is part of a family plan--which is $89.99! I just called them about this latest denial and they said the actual phone had to be on that plan. My phone is the $9.99 add on. By the way, of course I would not have gotten approved if I sent in my 9 month bill. So, make sure if you are ever going to get a rebate, it is immediate and not a bunch of rules that will keep you from getting it.

I guess I'll be keeping the crazy cat!

I was hoping my daughter would move to a place to where she could take her crazy cat back that I talked about in an earlier post. But, she moved to a house that backs up to a pretty busy road. Knowing that cat, he would try to cross that road. I guess I'll have to deal with him a while longer!

I got a job--again!!!!

I had 2 interviews on Monday. I received a call from the principal of the school I wanted to work at Tuesday morning. The girl who was thinking about resigning is going to--so that leaves an opening for me. YEA!!! I'll be teaching 4th grade--what else?!?!? But, at least I've had lots of training in that area, plus all my materials are geared for that age group. When it rains it pours, as the saying goes. Why do I say that? Well, on Wednesday morning I got a job offer for the other school I had interviewed for. And then today, I received a message on my voice mail from a principal of a school where I hadn't even interviewed who said she was given my resume and she wanted me at her school! I feel so special!!!!